Raon’s aura sparkled as brightly as sunlight when he opened his eyes.
He tried putting his hand on his chest. The violent rotation of the seven rings told him that what happened before wasn’t just a dream.
“…Is it finally complete?”
The new ring was spinning around his heart. It was the seventh ring that he struggled so hard to complete.
‘It was so close.’
It was also difficult to create the sixth ring, but it was still way easier than the seventh. It didn’t actually take that much time, but it was so difficult that his whole body was drenched in cold sweat. He would’ve fallen sick for a few days if he failed to do it.
Whir!
Raon slowly exhaled while listening to the resonance from his heart.
‘The aura is the first to change.’
The seven rings started to purify the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Glacier’s energies inside of his energy center to make them even cleaner.
He thought the purity was already perfect when he only had six rings, but it could become even better.
‘My senses have also changed.’
Not only the vision and hearing, but all senses and his aura perception could detect even more than before. He felt like the flow of the world had changed once again.
‘The foundation has solidified even further.’
Even though the Ring of Fire’s rank didn’t directly affect his prowess, it broadened and deepened his foundations to allow him to get even stronger in the future at a faster pace.
Since it could allow him to surpass the Master level and reach even higher, an unconscious smile appeared on his face.
“How mysterious.”
The rings of fire were so annoying when he was trying to create a new ring, as if they were trying to defend their territory, but they were giving a warm welcome to the new ring after its completion. The clear resonance coming from the six rings sounded like they were rejoicing in the seventh ring’s creation.
Raon smiled while enjoying the resonance.
“It’s a relief that it didn’t take that long.”
Although he stopped noticing the flow of time at some point, only about two days had to have passed when you considered the fact that he didn’t feel hungry nor sleepy.
Didn’t take long? Seriously?
Wrath slowly emerged from the ice flower bracelet.
Did you really just say it didn’t take that long?
He shoved his face into him while grinding his teeth fiercely.
How could you say it didn’t take a long time when you’ve been useless for an entire week?
“An entire week?”
That’s right! You didn’t move at all for a whole week!
“Is that so?”
It was unexpected that it took a whole week to create a new ring, since the process should’ve taken a lot shorter than something like aura cultivation after taking an elixir.
‘I didn’t know this amount of focus was possible for a human being.’
It was his first time maintaining his focus for that long. Realizing that he’d been underestimating the human potential, his heart pounded in anticipation of how much better he could get.
The King of Essence… the King of Essence…
Wrath’s fists clenched, trembling in frustration.
Couldn’t eat a single meal for a whole week! Not a single one!
“Hmm…”
Wrath’s complaint was exactly what Raon was expecting from him.
His behavior kept confirming that he wasn’t faking his gluttony at all, and it was perfectly genuine. That fact made it even more surprising.
“But I kept all my promises about foo…”
Shut up!
Wrath raised two of his fingers. He must’ve been threatening him to poke his eyes if he kept talking.
Did you know that?
“K-Know what?”
Your maids left your meal in front of the door whenever it was time for food.
He tightly bit his lip, while pointing at the gap under the door.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks in between! Five meals were placed in front of that door per day, and you missed all of them! Thirty-five meals were missed as the King of Essence watched!
Wrath grasped his head and started shaking it. His eyes looked like tears were welling up in them.
Do you realize the sadness and despair the King of Essence felt as he was unable to eat despite the hunger and the smell coming from the door? It was hell! Hell is the only way to describe it!
‘But hell is your home… Oh, was it Devildom? I guess hell and Devildom were pretty much the same.’
Anyway, he could only laugh at the ridiculous sight of a demon king wailing just because he’d missed a few meals.
Did you just laugh? How can you even laugh in this situation? How dare you curve your lips into a smile after tormenting the monarch of Wrath?
Wrath ground his teeth so hard that the cracking sound could be heard.
The King of Essence has never felt this amount of wrath before. I could endure the hunger if I couldn’t see the food, but I could clearly see and smell it! By the way, yesterday’s meal was pineapple pizza! Pineapple!!
“Hmm. I’m sorry, but….”
Raon gathered his hands to apologize.
“There’s something you will be even more angry about.”
Bullshit! Nothing could make the King of Essence angrier than he currently…
Messages appeared in front of his eyes before Wrath could finish his sentence.
[A new ring of fire has been created.]
[Ring of Fire has reached seven-stars.]
[Your vision and senses have been expanded.]
[Your soul level has increased.]
[Trait Iron Will has been increased to four-stars.]
[Trait Focus has been increased to five-stars.]
[All stats have increased by 7.]
His vision was filled with the rewards he had received from completing the new ring of fire.
Argh!
Wrath’s eyes enlarged so much that they looked like they would pop out, despite him babbling that he couldn’t get any angrier.
“I managed to get some results for what I did for a week. I figured it was going to show up.”
Raon smiled while reading the messages. Even his stats and the rank of traits had increased from just creating a new ring of fire. He realized once again how lucky it was to have Wrath with him.
Kuhh…
His veins became visible on his forehead, and the coldness of wrath started to burst from his shoulders.
Raon was ready to use his newly obtained seven rings in preparation for his attack, but he simply bit his lip and didn’t make his move.
“Oh my god. Are you actually being patient?”
D-Don’t underestimate the King of Essence. He’s not about to do something that would benefit you even further!
“Wrath has acquired Patience.”
Shut up!
Raon spoke like the system, and another vein was added to Wrath’s forehead.
“No, that was a wise choice.”
Anything Wrath tried to do could be rendered pointless by rotating the seven rings of fire. He was right about the fact that he would’ve only ended up giving away more stats if he tried attacking Raon.
However, he could only laugh because of how ironic the situation was, since the monarch of Wrath was holding back his wrath.
If you have any conscience at all, you will go outside right now and prepare a meal! A pizza would be perfect. Let’s make it a pineapple and shrimp pizza.
Wrath growled and gave a detailed order. He was unsurprising in many ways.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
Raon pointed at the window, where moonlight was shining.
“Everyone should be sleeping right now, and I would end up waking them up.”
But they are just your subordinates! It’s fine to wake them up!
“They aren’t my subordinates, and I don’t want to wake them up.”
He shook his hand at Wrath, dismissing his idea.
“I’ll eat something delicious as soon as the sun rises tomorrow. Just wait a little bit longer.”
How is the King of Essence even supposed to wait even longer when he’s been waiting for a whole week?
“If you really can’t, we can do this.”
You must be coming up with something crazy again. The King of Essence doesn’t care!
Wrath snorted, saying that he wasn’t interested at all.
“But you can regain the week’s worth of meals that you’ve lost with this method.”
R-Regain the week’s worth of meals? What is the method?
As soon as Raon stated that he could regain the week he lost, Wrath started hopping like a rabbit.
Raon grinned and opened the wrapping cloth that was placed on the table. Nicely cooked round loaves of bread made their appearance, and there were seven of them.
“This is Nadine bread. Since a single one can fill your stomach for a whole day, eating all seven will allow you to regain the week you lost.”
Haa…
Wrath’s eyes lost their light and only the pitch-black darkness remained.
You shouldn’t exist in this world…
His wrath and coldness intensified to an unprecedented degree as he charged at Raon.
Dieeeee!
Raon managed to gain two extra points that night.
* * *
* * *
Faint moonlight was shining down on the office in the lord’s manor of House Robert.
Derus Robert was working on documents like a machine when his hands suddenly stopped. His cold gaze was directed at the back of the hand that was holding the quill.
Drip.
Crimson blood was flowing from the scar at the back of his hand, landing on the document. The blood spread on the white paper, erasing the wet ink.
“…Did it become larger?”
Derus narrowed his eyes while staring at the scar on the back of his hand. It looked like the bite mark left by a dog he was raising, the one that he hadn’t been able to remove for the past twenty years, had become slightly bigger than before.
‘It even feels painful…’
It never really felt painful before, even though it would occasionally bleed, but it was different because the pain he was feeling was rather intense.
‘They said it was a curse.’
He tried meeting priests, healers, magicians, and even shamans in order to remove the scar, but no one had been able to heal him.
They said that it was a curse with a deep rooted resentment, and it couldn’t be removed for the rest of his life. They said that the only way to remove it was to resolve the resentment of the person who left it on him.
However, the one who left that curse was Raon, and he was already dead—his corpse had even been incinerated. He’d been ignoring it, thinking that a curse left by a mere spirit was meaningless, yet the scar opened up for the first time.
‘Did the curse become stronger?’
The last person he met was a shaman, and he’d told him that the scar could get bigger if the curse got stronger.
Derus figured that Raon’s curse dwelling in the scar had gotten stronger.
“Interesting. Did you resent me so much that you would try hurting me even after your death?”
Derus licked the blood flowing down from the scar as his mouth curved into a smile.
Whap.
As soon as he placed his hand on the document, the white paper burned up in an instant and turned to ash. It was a display of his godly skills, as he only burned up the document smeared with blood while the desk and other documents remained completely intact.
“Martio.”
Derus bobbed his hand, and a black shadow surged up from the floor.
The shadow wavered like a lake reflecting the moonlight before taking the shape of a man wearing a black night traveling outfit with his face covered by a mask. He silently knelt in front of Derus.
“Did you gather the information about Raon Zieghart?”
“We managed to connect the line to the north. We are currently putting the information that the shadows managed to obtain from what happened at the Gazel River and Lohengreen’s dungeon together.”
“He’s supposed to have assassinated the fourth apostle in Lohengreen’s dungeon, right?”
“He didn’t manage to kill him, but he inflicted a critical wound.”
“Yes, that’s right. An assassination…”
He smiled faintly as he nodded.
“Tell the shadows in the north.”
Derus Robert rolled his lips up into a smile while looking at the scar on the back of his hand.
“The information about Raon Zieghart is to be considered as important as information about Glenn Zieghart.”
“D-Did you just say that he’s as important as Glenn Zieghart?”
“He deserves that much.”
Raon Zieghart was a monster that managed to behead Tyler from the South-North Union at eighteen years of age, and even managed to shatter the fourth apostle’s heart. He wasn’t just a future prospect with many rumors around him—he was actually already affecting the continent’s situation. That was why it was worth gathering information about him.
“Understood.”
Martio briefly bowed, then turned into a shadow to disappear just like he appeared.
“Hmm.”
Derus turned his chair to look at the moonlight shining down from the window.
“Raon, what is your true identity? Are you just a genius? Or…”
* * *
Raon ate a hearty breakfast to appease Wrath’s anger and went to the training ground.
He opened the door and entered, and the Light Wind swordsmen were already training hard.
“Huh?”
“Raon!”
“The temporary squad leader is back!”
“It took exactly one week.”
The Light Wind members waved their hands as soon as they saw him. The smiles on their faces showed their confidence about the progress they’d achieved while he was gone.
“Indeed…”
Raon smiled while meeting the gazes of the Light Wind swordsmen.
‘Their confidence is understandable.’
They must’ve trained as hard as they could, as they were completely different from a week prior. Their clear eyes and bodies brimming with power suggested that they’d been resting properly between sessions, and no one was growling like a rabid dog anymore.
‘They must’ve gotten a lot more motivated after defeating the Severing Steads.’
They wouldn’t have realized it during the incident a week before because they were too exhausted from the lack of sleep, but they must’ve gotten motivated once they realized they’d won against the Severing Steads after getting a proper rest. It was only natural, as the joy of victory was even more exhilarating than a drug.
Raon enjoyed the powerful pressure coming from the Light Wind squad as he went up next to the Gambling Monster.
“General administrator, you did a great job.”
“They were a handful, but they weren’t too bad.”
The Gambling Monster nodded. He seemed to be rather satisfied with the time he spent with them.
“Where did the squad leader go?”
“No idea. He didn’t show up at all.”
“I see.”
Raon wasn’t even surprised at that point because he’d always been like that. He figured he must’ve been gambling somewhere as he nodded.
Raon looked into the eyes of the Light Wind swordsmen while standing on the edge of the platform. He could see their determination and power in their spirited eyes.
“Good job, everyone. You managed to surpass my expectations.”
“Woaaah!”
Raon nodded with a smile, and every member of the Light Wind squad shouted with joy.
“Raon is damn handsome again.”
Runaan breathed out a sigh of relief while closing her blank eyes.
“Even that guy has a proper conscience.”
Martha snickered and covered the back of her head with her hands with fingers locked together. Although she was acting casually, the bead of sweat flowing down from her forehead revealed how anxious she was.
“I-I still have to train more… I guess?”
Because Burren’s supplementary training had already been decided before he left, he hung his head with a pale face.
“It’s finally over!”
“Ahehehe, I’m alive! I can live now!”
“It was worth surviving those painful days!”
“Haa, I really thought I was going to die.”
“I like getting stronger, but humans need some rest after all.”
Bright smiles were blooming like flowers on their faces, as they believed the hellish training was finally over.
“What has the temporary squad leader been doing?”
Dorian raised his hand, his face as bright as the color of his hair. The sweet smile around his mouth suggested that he totally believed that the training was over.
“Good question.”
Raon nodded at Dorian.
“I didn’t leave my room for the past week.”
“Even though you were on probation, you shouldn’t have needed to go that far.”
“I know, right? It would’ve been fine to do whatever you wanted as long as you stayed in the annex building.”
“You are so strict.”
The Light Wind members shook their heads, saying that he was following the rules too strictly.
“That’s not what happened. I was just too focused on cultivation and lost track of the time. Even though I spent an entire week doing it, it didn’t even feel like a day. And that taught me a lesson.”
Raon’s mouth curved into a smile as he examined the Light Wind members’ eyes one after the other.
“Focus and stamina are limitless. Even the peak of the mountain that you’d think is the highest part has a sky above it.”
“Uhh…”
“Huh?”
“Erm…”
The Light Wind members looked wary, realizing that something was going astray.
“Fire needs good firewood to grow large and furious. I wasn’t good firewood for you to reach your highest potential.”
Raon clenched his fist. He wanted the Light Wind squad to share the extreme focus and exhilaration he felt while creating his new ring of fire.
A-Are you truly lacking the human heart?
Wrath’s chin started to tremble as he realized what Raon was thinking.
“Wh-What is that bastard talking about right now?”
“I-I think he means that we are going to train even more.”
“Raon?”
Martha, Burren, and even Runaan swallowed nervously upon facing Raon’s frightening gaze.
“Starting from today, I’ll help you raise the upper limit of your abilities as high as possible. This is a promise. Our objective is simple.”
Raon raised his index finger.
“A beginner Expert should aim to be an intermediate, an intermediate will become an advanced, while an advanced will aim for the highest level. Your goal is to surpass your current limit by the new year in three months.”
“…”
The training ground fell completely silent at his declaration. Even the flow of the air seemed to have stopped, their rough breathing being the only sound that could be heard.
Cring.
The sound of the sword draw followed. They weren’t drawing their training swords, since thirty real swords were drawn at the same time.
“Kill him. We need to kill him right now.”
“We are going to die instead if we don’t kill him…”
“Three months? We aren’t even going to last for three days before the suffering kills us…”
“Grrr…”
“Rawr!”
The Light Wind members were filled with murderous intent as they looked up at Raon. Many of them were growling like beasts, reverting to the state they were in a week before.
Rumble!
Burren got into the Barren Wind Sword posture, while Martha mustered as much Titan’s aura as she could, and the floor started to freeze silver from Runaan’s icy aura.
“Arrgh! I don’t want to die!”
Dorian took out a three meter long harpoon designed to fight large monsters from his belly pocket and set it up for use.
“Uaaah!”
“Kill him!”
“We need to kill him no matter what!”
Raon resonated the seven rings of fire as he watched the Light Wind members scream as they charged at him. He nodded in satisfaction with a smile on his face.
“Voluntary participation is always welcome.”
* * *
Lohengreen’s dungeon was rendered completely inaccessible because Raon had destroyed the entrance and the exit.
Inside the lowest floor, where Lohengreen’s bones remained, the clacking sound of shoes could be heard.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The one hiding in a black robe stood in front of the laboratory, their footsteps sharp.
Once they raised their white hand, the stone wall disappeared despite only being possible to open by using Glacier, and the laboratory’s interior could be seen.
The one wearing the robe entered the laboratory and took a deep breath before exhaling. Blue eyes were sparkling from inside the robe, which used to only contain darkness.
“Wrath?”
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